Joël Giraud
French politician (born 1959)
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Joël Pierre Gilles Giraud (French pronunciation: [ʒɔɛl ʒiʁo]; born 14 October 1959) is a French retired politician who briefly served as Minister of Territorial Cohesion and Relations with Local Authorities under Prime Minister Jean Castex in 2022. A member of both Renaissance (RE) and the Radical Movement (MR), he previously represented the 2nd constituency of the Hautes-Alpes department in the National Assembly from 2002 to 2020 and served as Secretary of State for Rurality from 2020 until 2022.[1]
Joël Giraud | |
|---|---|
 Giraud in 2017 | |
| Minister of Territorial Cohesion and Relations with Local Authorities | |
| In office 5 March 2022 – 20 May 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Jean Castex |
| Preceded by | Jacqueline Gourault |
| Succeeded by | Amélie de Montchalin |
| Secretary of State for Rurality | |
| In office 26 July 2020 – 5 March 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Jean Castex |
| Preceded by | Jean-Michel Baylet[a] |
| Succeeded by | Dominique Faure |
| Member of the National Assembly for Hautes-Alpes's 2nd constituency | |
| In office 22 June 2022 – 9 June 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Claire Bouchet |
| Succeeded by | Valérie Rossi |
| In office 18 June 2002 – 26 August 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Patrick Ollier |
| Succeeded by | Claire Bouchet |
| Mayor of L'Argentière-la-Bessée | |
| In office 20 March 1989 – 29 July 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Auguste Toye |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Vigne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joël Pierre Gilles Giraud 14 October 1959 Gap, France |
| Party | Renaissance (2016–present) |
Other political affiliations | Radical Party of the Left (1998–2017) |
| Alma mater | École nationale supérieure des postes, télégraphes et téléphones École nationale d'administration |
| Profession | Civil servant |
Political career
Career in local politics
An alumnus of the École nationale d'administration, Giraud first entered the municipal council of L'Argentière-la-Bessée in 1986. He held the mayorship of L'Argentière-la-Bessée from 1989 to 2017, as well as one of the vice presidencies of the Regional Council of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur under President Michel Vauzelle from 2004 to 2014.
Career in national politics
Elected to Parliament in Hautes-Alpes's 2nd constituency in 2002, he was reelected in 2007, 2012 and 2017. He is a former Secretary of the Economic Affairs Committee.[2] He was a member of the Radical Party of the Left until 2017, when it was merged with the Radical Party into Radical Movement, which Giraud joined. He has also been a member of Renaissance since 2016.
In addition to his committee assignments, Giraud has been a member of the French delegation to the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly from 2019 to 2020 and again since 2022.[3] He also chaired the French-Italian Parliamentary Friendship Group from 2012 to 2017.
Giraud was appointed to the Castex government in 2020 as Secretary of State for Rurality under Minister Jacqueline Gourault.[4] Upon her appointment to the Constitutional Council in 2022, he succeeded her as Minister of Territorial Cohesion and Relations with Local Authorities.[5]
Following the 2022 legislative election, Giraud stood as a candidate for the National Assembly's presidency;[6] in an internal vote, he lost against Yaël Braun-Pivet.[7]
On 9 June 2024, Giraud announced the end of his political career after the announcement of the dissolution of the National Assembly. Giraud denounced a potential government of cohabitation "between the president and the far-right".[8]
Personal life
Giraud is openly gay.[9]
Honours
- Knight of the Legion of Honour (2025)[10]
See also
Notes
- As Minister of Spatial Planning, Rurality and Territorial Collectivities in 2017.